Thirteen Reasons Why

In the story Thirteen Reasons Why Hannah Baker, a what seems to be normal high school girl, unexpectedly dies. After her death a box of thirteen tapes have been sent out to be passed to the thirteen people responsible for her suicide. When Clay Jensen receives this box of tapes he is quite confused. After opening the box and listening to the first tape, he is shocked and his life has completely taken a turn. Along with the others who got the box passed to them. Read this story to find out Hannah's story and learn along with clay how he has a part in the suicide of Hannah Baker.

This story is shocking, suspenseful, and addicting. The reader learns about how reputations and bullying can hurt as they read what Hannah has to say on her tapes. This story is written in the first person point-of-view of Clay and it alternates with Hannah's talking on the tapes. This story lets the reader feel like they have a relationship with the characters and lets the readers see the different sides to the characters and their personalities. As you read you get further into the story you read about the plot that lead Hannah to her breaking point.  

This story is a page turner that keeps the reader wanting to know more and you want to know more about Hannah's experiences and feelings. The connection that will form between the reader and the characters like Hannah and Clay makes the story so much more intriguing and thought provoking. The author ends the story with a lot unsaid and the reader will have to wonder or decide for the self what they believe happened as the characters move on with life after Hannah Baker. This is a story that I would recommend to anyone for an exciting, easy read. 

Book Review by Allie K.

Taming the Star Runner

This book is not one of the best books I have read by S.E. Hinton. It is not comparable to her first book, The Outsiders. Taming the Star Runner is not as detailed, it quickly skips through a lot of the story. The main character is Travis, a boy of the age of 16 years, who has a lot of problems getting into trouble. He runs around the town with a bunch of boys that tend to get into trouble, although usually he is not quite as bad as they are. Travis is an aspiring young author; he may sit in his room for days at a time, even in order to complete a story or chapter. He has recently completed a book, and has sent it into a publishing office in an attempt to get it published. His mother has re-married, since his father, Tim, died in the war. The man she had married, Stan, did not like Travis at all, from the start. They did not get along, and Travis thought it was because Travis was a constant reminder to Stan that she had a different husband before him.

Travis had just gotten out of Juvenile Hall, after being accused of attempted murder of his step father, Stan. His mother told him that he had to go; he could not stay in her house any longer. Travis’ uncle, Ken, had offered to allow him to stay with him on his ranch, in Oklahoma. When Travis had packed his bags, his mother, and his two best friends, Joe and Kirk, and he all left for the airport. While there, he expressed to Joe about his fear of airplanes. He had a strange connection with his mother as he left, he gave her a hug. Travis boarded the plane, and set off for Oklahoma. While on the plane, a man had asked if his animal was a dog or a cat, and Travis said it was a cat. They had a short conversation, partially hostile, as Travis was very protective of his cat. When he arrived at the airport in Oklahoma, his uncle had recognized him immediately. Ken said that this was because Travis had the same “cowboy swagger” as Tim had. While in Oklahoma, Travis had felt very alone at first. For the first time ever, Travis had no friends. No one at this new school liked him, and he had finally realized how having no friends could be so negative on one’s life. Ken owned a ranch, but he did not raise horses. Instead, he was a lawyer. He said that owning a ranch at this point was not worth it, the ranch would be too costly in this economy. Since he owned the ranch, he rented out his barn to a local girl, her name was Casey. Her horse’s name was The Star Runner. This horse was wild, crazy, not meant to be tamed. Casey was the only one crazy enough to ride him. Travis admired that. As the story continues, Travis finally gets a job tending to the horses in Casey’s barn, and he gets to watch them all perform in the tournaments. Soon Travis learns that the company he sent his book to accepted his book, and wanted to meet with him in person to discuss what was to happen next. After his mother learns this, she presumably tells Stan. Stan then demands to read it, to make sure that it does not have any information based on him. His mother tells Travis that she will not sign any contract for him unless Stan reads it, as Travis is not old enough to sign any contract yet. Sometimes on the weekends, Ken has his son over. His son is very young, and his name is Christopher. He and Travis get along fairly well. Ken is in the middle of a divorce, with Christopher’s mother, Theresa. This puts some stress on the house, although it is not too bad. At various points throughout the story Ken and Theresa try to get back together, although that never fully works out. One day while Travis is working in the barn, he comes home to find out that the phone is ringing. As he answers, he somehow knows it will be Joe. Joe explains that he needs to get picked up, and Travis gets Casey to drive him to get Joe at the town Quik Trip. Joe explains his dilemma, and a lot happens. When Travis and Ken get back, it is storming. Together, Travis, Casey, and Ken all try to get the horses into their specific stalls.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed the other books written by S.E. Hinton. It is not nearly detailed enough, and it skips the story too fast. It has a good story, but it does not give the entirety of it. If the story had been thoroughly shown in the book, it would have been a great read. I would not recommend this book, because it is a waste of time to read something that is not complete. 

Book Review by Joe B.

Among the Betrayed

This is Margaret Haddix’s third book in her Shadow Children series.

Nina Idi. is a third child, a shadow child as they call them. After being told on by her best friend to the population police, she now serves time in the population prison with three other kids. The police then tell her, if she finds out who created fake ID’s for these other three shadow children, they’ll let her go free, but she didn’t, then the police would kill all of them.

This book is very dark with the sense of danger in every page. Third children are illegal in a family; the government only allows a family of four to keep the food going around. Any third child born, would have to go into hiding with a fake ID and name, or be sent to prison and be executed. When reading this book, you will see the horrible society on the inside, and the horrors of being a shadow child. Will Nina reveal the identity of the Id forger and end three little kids’ lives and in turn live herself, or do what she can to escape, and get them all killed.

With very few characters in the book, this is one of the books in the series to make you think, “What if this society was real? Who do I know that would die?” Every one of her books holds a mystery to who started the illegal third child predicament. 

Book Review by Larson U.

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero was written by Rick Riordan, following the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series as its own recurring series known as “Heroes of Olympus”, following the same story line only now with new characters added into the theme.

This book revolves around a boy named Jason Grace, waking up on a bus, not knowing who he is or where he was. He was holding hands with a girl he’s never met, and talking to a boy he’s never met. As he tells the strangers of how he randomly ended up on the bus, Piper, his so called girlfriend, asks if he’s joking or not. Leo, his supposed best friend, says he’s playing around. But he knows for sure something’s not right. The school chaperone, coach Hedge also knows Jason isn’t supposed to be there.

As the story progresses, Jason finds out that he was attending a school called the Wilderness School somewhere in Nevada. They were on the bus for a school field trip to the Grand Canyon, making their way to the museum that lies above. Once they arrive, Piper is swept away by her partner, a narcissistic jerk named Dylan. Leo and Jason pair up and go to the skywalk above the canyon to fill out a paper for class. Soon after, wind starts building up and thunder roars overhead. Student evacuate as the skywalk begins to shake, sending kids screaming and Leo almost over the edge. Piper is knocked out by Dylan, who becomes a storm spirit.

Later, Piper is sent flying over the skywalk, and Jason going after her. Jason flies down and catches her, unknowingly bringing both him and Piper back up. Dylan ends up taking coach Hedge (also known as the protector of Leo and Piper, not knowing Jason was a part of it) into an unknown void in Leo’s stead. A blonde girl with stormy grey eyes comes along, and says she’s looking for her missing boyfriend, found out to be Percy Jackson.

The descriptive, action packed adventure book is filled with the three demigods on a quest to free Hera from the Wolf House, also helping Piper save her father, famous actor Tristan McLean. Filled with fighting, clever humor, action, despair, betrayal, and many other quirks that really makes this a Riordan novel. The theme fits incredibly with the Percy Jackson books, and makes it such an enjoyable read. It’s really an incredible book. The characters are marvelous, and the descriptiveness is magnificent. Definitely a series I’d recommend starting if you’ve read the Percy Jackson novels.

As the book series is ongoing, it gives readers an insight on the starting plot and theme of the newfound series adding itself to the previous. All in all, it’s a wonderful read and I recommend 10/10 no doubt. (Trust me, I’ve read it like, 10 times. No lie.) 

Book Review by Laura D.

The Fault In Our Stars

With everything John green already has done, makes you wonder how he could do more. He’s wrote four books, made 1,168 videos with his brother Hank Green on their VlogBrothers channel on YouTube.

The amazing story that is John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, is filled with passion, suspense and tragedy. 

The story centers around the two star-crossed lovers Hazel and Gus, but unlike most love stories it’s not full of drama or the guy trying to “woo” the girl. It’s more realistic yet still 100% romantic. Hazel was diagnosed with cancer when she was thirteen, but has managed to live with her disease thanks to an experimental drug. She is now sixteen, her parents think she needs help because she doesn’t go out much and usually stays home a lot. So they send her to a support group made for children living with cancer. Hazel finished high school early and has already started taking college classes. Isaac was a friend who also attended the support group.

Isaac lost his eye to cancer at a young age and has just learned that he must have the other eye removed. Isaac is close friends with Augustus "Gus" Waters, a former basketball player who lost his right leg to cancer, and is in remission. Hazel meets Augustus through Isaac at the support group. The two become good friends, and it soon is very obvious that The Fault in Our Stars is a love story. If you like love stories this one will keep you reading until the last page.  At the start it seems like a basic story of a girl but as you learn more about Hazel and Gus you get more and more enveloped in their story of love. Most books don’t amuse me, but this one was so good I finished it in four days.

The reason this book was so amazing is that John Green makes you feel like the characters are your best friends and your experiencing everything with them. It’s also amazing because the story is realistic, you can relate to the characters a lot more because of this.

Book Review by Ivy W.

The Gun

Introduction

The Gun, by Paul Langan, is the sequel to his first book, The Bully.  This is the second book in the series. The story picks up just after Darrell breaks Tyray’s hand. Tyray was originally the biggest bully in the school. He would beat up kids for money because his family had little of their own. This story is about a boy who finds himself in a lot of trouble: his friends are making fun of him, his dad is going crazy, the teachers are on his case, it’s a mess for Tyray.

Summary

This story is about a kid named Tyray who is trying to get his reputation back. This story takes place in a rough city in California sometime in the 1990s. The book begins when Tyray is sent to the principal with a broken hand, and the principal threatens to expel Tyray if he causes any more problems. Darrell Mercer had broken Tyray’s hand in a fight earlier, which caused Tyray to lose his reputation as somebody who doesn’t back out, and people think he’s a total loser. Tyray decides to change things by getting a gun to shoot Darrell. I found this interesting because the gun does not change anything, it just makes Tyray feel a lot worse about himself.

Analysis/Review

I liked Paul Langan’s first book in this series, The Bully, better than The Gun, because it showed the perspectives of Darrell and Tyray with more feeling. It was harder to understand Darrell’s motivations in The Gun, because the book didn’t often describe his feelings. I like this series because I can relate to being made fun of. I was always picked on because I was short and never outgoing. In the story I found it surprising that Tyray actually followed up on his plan to get the gun and finally shoot Darrell. 

Book Review by John P.

The Dark Half

The DarkHalf by Stephen King is a shocking and amazing story.

Thaddeus Beaumont is a famous writer who has just recently “killed” his pseudonym, George Stark due to the fact he felt that george was coming alive. Soon after, a string of murders begin to happen near Castle Rock, Maine where Thad lives. There is evidence left at all the crime scenes that exactly matches Thad’s DNA, and the people dieing seem to be in someway related to him. Thad is sent on a hunt to find out what’s going on.

This gripping horror story seems to tell the underlying tale of trust within our society and how some celebrities lives are actually very normal. it is told almost wholly from Thad’s perspective but at some points, stark makes an appearance making the story even more interesting. King incorporates what readers can interpret to be Thad’s writing as he writes down journals of certain events which makes the story seem that much more real. Thad’s everyday interactions with his wife make him seem like a normal person, but Stark only disproves that fact, again and again and again. The great blend of dialogue to action makes The Dark Half  a book on one of the better sides of crime and horror.

The book may seem slow at the beginning but picks up speed gradually and only goes uphill. The Dark Half is a great book and is sure to hook fans of crime and horror novels alike.The only reason not to read this book, is if you’re too scared...

Book Review by Roan W.

Dr. Franklin's Island

Dr. Franklin's Island is a young adult science fiction book by Ann Halam, published in 2002. It is narrated in the first person.

Author: Gwyneth Jones (born February 14, 1952) is an English science fiction and fantasy writer and critic, and a young adult children's writer under the name Ann Halam

Summary:

A plane going to a research facility in Ecuador crashes and the only three survivor children are Semi Garson, miranda, a brave girl, and a boy called Arnie. The beaches which they have crashed by on a tiny tropical island hide a terrible secret. Beyond the blue waters and white sand is Dr. Franklin's "hospital." Miranda, Semi, and Arnie are about to become the doctor's next victims. After Arnie disappears, Miranda and Semi discover they are not alone on the island. Dr Franklin and his assistant skinner have been waiting for them. They're perfect subjects for his experiments in genetic engineering.

book Review

I enjoyed this book. When you read this book it takes you into the thoughts of the characters.. This book really makes you think and you can read it over and over and keep finding new details. Ann Halam does a well job with visual details and describing the feeling of the characters.

There was some textual evidence I found was particularly intriguing. "'What are we?' I ask Miranda. 'Are we monsters? Or are we more than human?' I like how the characters have to cope with their changes and try to stay human even though their animal instincts try to take over.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read sci-fi. This book has some graphic imagery in the text.  Some parts of the book become a little slow and then the book becomes exciting. This book is highly recommended for you to read. 

Book Review by Lena B.

Mockingjay

This is a review of the book “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins, published in September 2010. Mockingjay is the third and final book in “The Hunger Games” trilogy, meaning it concludes the series. The previous book in this series is Catching Fire. This books theme is dystopian fiction/sci-fi action, and is about a country with a cruel and oppressive government where the people are having a revolution against the government.

This book takes place in an unknown time in the future, probably a couple hundred years from now at my guess. All of today’s civilization is lost, and what remains is a country in North America called Panem. Panem is divided into 12 unfairly treated districts and a rich, high tech Capitol that rules the nation. In Mockingjay, there is finally a revolution against the Capitol which is unintentionally started by the protagonist Katniss Everdeen throughout the first two books. Katniss is part of an underground military group in District 13, which was mythologically supposed to be destroyed long before, and they are basically planning out the whole revolution themselves. Their plan is to take over each District one by one, and then the Capitol to finish it off. District 13 is using Katniss as their symbol, the Mockingjay. The cause of this being that Katniss accidentally started the revolution throughout the first two books and had her Mockingjay pin as her own symbol. This way District 13 knows that people will look up to her giving inspiration to the revolution. Throughout the book, District 13 makes a series of propaganda commercials cast throughout Panem called Propos, each one starring Katniss. The main characters are Katniss, of course, Peeta, who was captured by the Capitol but eventually rescued, Plutarch Heavensbee, one of the leading military officers, Boggs, another high ranked military officer, Gale Hawthorne, Katniss’s best friend, Cressida, who is in charge of the propos, Alma Coin the President of District 13 who barely even does anything, and the antagonist, President Snow, who is the president of Panem and who District 13 is trying to capture.

I loved this book, although it was not as good as Catching Fire. I love the setting because I think the whole idea of a cruel, dystopian nation being all that’s left in the far future is just really cool and creative, the story is gripping and intense, although the characters could have been better. It is full of action and violence, and the story gets interesting as it progresses. I like how Katniss traveled throughout Panem so I could see what some of the other Districts looked like. One thing I will say is that this is probably the most depressing book I have ever read. A LOT of people die throughout the book, and there were some scenes and descriptions that almost made me cry. I did not like Katniss that much. She is very tough and smart, but she is very negative and kind of mean. I can understand why she’s so grumpy, considering the situation she’s in, but she does take it out on other people and herself. At one point, she says “I hate almost everyone now, myself most of all”. If you like books with lots of action, a gripping story, and an interesting and creative setting, then read the Hunger Games series, they are awesome. My favorite book in the trilogy is Catching Fire, and Mockingjay is just a tiny bit worse. Although most people I know like the first book the best, but this is just my opinion. So read this series as soon as possible, it will suck you in until the last page of the last book, and you will be satisfied.

Book Review by Alex O.

The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story

The Sacred Acre

This is the first book I have read by Mark Tab, and it won’t be the last. This book is a retelling of Major events of a high school football coach. What the reader learns in the book is that Ed Thomas isn’t an ordinary football coach but he is a hero, that fixed a towns spirit the book changes moods all along the way it is tragic and uplifting.

The book is about a small town Iowa football coach who after a terrible tornado fixes everyone’s will with football. It goes back and forth between the past and how it relates to him during the football season. The book is also about the people in his life including his wife Jan, and his kids. Thomas was such a great character that makes you wonder if he was even real. . Ed Thomas is such a relatable character and very lighthearted, and represents the good in people.

I most definitely liked the book and I recommend it to anyone. The book is good for non-sports fans, there was very little about football, and would be enjoyed by anyone. Watch out though it can be a real downer. I could imagine the events unlike any other memoir and I hope everyone takes the time, to give this book a chance.

Book Review by Luke J.

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien is the greatest classical writer of the 20th century.  From his moving to England (although English by blood, he was actually born in Africa) as a young child and the soon followed death of his father.  To fighting in the trenches during the first world war as a young man and later marrying the love of his life and having several children of his own till death sadly parted them both.  He wrote the Lord of the Rings series which was a gigantic success and one of the most famous and beloved classical stories of all time, the Hobbit or there and back again (as J.R.R.Tolkien would so humorously phrase it). It is a thrilling story that, in my opinion, surpassed even his LOTR novel.

This 272 page fantasy fiction is a phenomenal yet unlikely journey across the plains of Middle-Earth.  A small creature known as a hobbit (hence the name) who goes by the name of Bilbo Baggins is living an ordinary day.  That all changes when he suddenly is addressed by a wizard and later thirteen dwarves. They all want the same thing (except for poor Bilbo) the death of Smaug and the spoils he has acquired from the civilizations he has decimated. Smaug though, is an infamous dragon known for burning Thorin Oakenshield’s (leader of those thirteen dwarves) kingdom to the ground.  Bilbo is asked to join the journey and share the spoils. Bilbo accepts their offer after quite a bit of thinking and a quick signature. Bilbo and his patrons set of towards their journey. And let me tell you, it is quite the journey. Before they all know it they run into trouble at every turn. From barely surviving cave trolls that had captured and planned to eat the drawves and our poor little hobbit. And hiking over misty mountains that just so happened to be inhabited by orcs that unknowingly dwelled within. To trudging through the forest of Mirkwood, a once beautiful but now vile forest crawling with unknown creatures and giant spiders that are willing to drain the blood of anything still alive and wood elves that end up imprisoning them. When they at last reach their destination they are greeted by a baron waist land and the almost impossible task they have taken upon themselves to complete. The one that would decide if their journey was worth the trip, Smaug. But they soon learn that Smaug is not the only problem they must face in the near future. More foes are approaching and soon, they will need everything they can muster to survive…              

Although the book requires a good deal of patience, it is a riveting tale told by one of the world’s best classical writers. It is a very well structured book with many unexpected twists and turns and it very descriptive which really helps you with your imagination. It is also a very poetic book with many little songs that are very nice. The book also has some comical aspects towards each of the characters. So, overall a great book and I would definitely read it if I have not already.

Book Review by Noah H.